Will Homeowners Insurance Pay for Wild Palo Alto Animal Damage?

Homeowners insurance is not a necessity for many of us. However, if you live in a rural area where there has been known activity by wild animals, homeowners insurance may be a plus. This type of insurance covers any damage to your home by family members including your own pets. It also covers any expenses in the event that your home should become too damaged to inhabit. Homeowners insurance does not, however, cover most natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, or tornadoes. This type of insurance would be covered under a separate policy. So we discovered that our insurance covers damage by our own pets, but does it in fact cover damage by wild Palo Alto animals? Most insurances will cover this type of damage, with the exclusion of rats and mice.



In the event that you discover wild California animals such as raccoons, possums, skunks, etc have entered your home and destroyed your property, many agencies will pay for the damages. It is recommended that if you believe your home is in danger of this destruction to first speak with your agent to define whether or not your policy covers this. If your policy does cover this, however, many companies will require you to show proof that you did not know the animals were in your house. If you did know, then they would have you present proof that you attempted to control the situation or remove the animals before damage was done. If you knew and made no attempt to gain control of the situation, homeowners insurance will most likely not cover any damages done. They will consider you at fault for any damages and you will have to pay out of pocket.

Homeowners insurance policies that allow wild Palo Alto animal coverage will only cover damages to the property itself. While some policies cover damage to personal belongings in the event of fires or other problems, if any wild animal happens to do damage to your personal belongings, the insurance will not cover it respectively. It is recommended that instead, you remain vigilant and find any wild animals in your home before they can cause any damage that may need to be later fixed or covered by insurance. If you should discover wild animals in your home you may need to call an exterminator or take your own preventative measures such as blocking off entry points or using scare tactics instead. Many wild animals can be scared off using spot lights, loud sounds, or even pungent scents such as vinegar or ammonia. Before you assume your homeowners insurance covers such issues you should talk to your agent, especially if you happen to live in an area where you believe such issues are likely or unavoidable. Some policies may also offer extra coverage for a small fee, which allows you to take full advantage of the wild animal issues around your home. Now you can sleep comfortably at night knowing that your needs will be taken care of if any such damages should occur.

Visit our Palo Alto wildlife removal home page to learn more about us.